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Re: Tools statistics

Great bug list. I've been using FM 10 Structured hard since May. I've worked
in FM 7.2 Structured and a little FM 10 unstructured, but a LOT in FM 5.5.6,
4.x, 3.x, and before?

I loved FrameMaker's ability to do what you wanted and create what you
wanted, with repeatability, unlike Word (which we all know is a secretary's
tool, not a documentation tool), and had time with PageMaker (both PC and
Mac), Ventura Publisher, and Interleaf. I found FrameMaker more user
friendly (imho) than the others, stronger than some in some areas, weaker
than some in other areas, but overall, I preferred it.

Now that I am in FM 10 Structured, I have found Adobe has really abandoned
the users of their software.

The group was using an earlier version, had some big issues, and called
Adobe.

"Oh, we've fixed that."

"Great, what is the fix? When can we get it?"

"Right now. Just buy FrameMaker 10 and it has those fixes in it."

Naturally, they were rather upset that they had a $1000 program that was
full of bugs they recently purchased, only to find the company was NOT
fixing it for them, but in the new software they were expected to BUY.

Bugs we are finding in FrameMaker 10 Structured:

1. Callout text goes missing. We put in an Anchored frame, import a photo
by reference, put in a box and add text. Sometime later, we would find a
letter at the beginning or the end of a line missing. Now we are finding
letters in the middle missing.

2. Two documents in two different books, with same templates and EDD, will
place things slightly different. After 3 or 4 pages, a line will drop to the
next page in one that doesn't in the other. Yet, it is all the exact same
text and formatting.

3. I loved FM tables over Word for repeatability. Word was many times more
easily set up, but you couldn't repeat it easily. FM you could set a table,
assign a name, and repeat that exact table format and style over and over.
So far with FM 10, I have yet to be sure that I could duplicate a table
through the Table Designer. Sometimes it does, other times it doesn't. As
such, I copy a table in Structured View, paste it where I want it, clear the
cells, and re-populate.

4. We produce three different books: Operator's Manual, Maintenance Manual,
and Service Manual. Some chapters (files) in these are identical except for
header and footer information. I wanted to make several files (Intro,
Safety, Description, etc.) and then bring them into the book, and let the
book assign headers and footers. So far, I have been unable to make this
work. It pulls headers and footers from the FILE master pages, not from the
BOOK. My hopes of single source files isn't working.

5. Crashes. One of the guys has FM crash at least once a day and typically 3
or more times. His computer is one of the newer ones with lots of memory (3
months old). Mine will crash rarely, but it seems that if I have two files
opened and tiled, and having done an import of a linked image, it is more
likely to crash. A few others will go days without crashing, then crash 5 or
more times during the day, then days without again.

6. Can't get an anchored frame to reside IN a sentence (paragraph).
Example; 1. [picture] ON SWITCH - Main power switch for control panel. Of
course, that is probably more a limitation of structuring than FM.

7. Help that sucks so bad, Adobe could spend the next five years and not
correct it enough to be "good".

8. Lack of many things which are "standard" in other windows-based
applications.

In regards to Robert's list on that Adobe Community website:

1. Mine usually are, except the main one. It is always just a bit smaller
than I want and I have to stretch the lower right corner each time. The pods
usually stay for me, but a few times, they have changed.

3. Get a second monitor. Once I began using Structured, I found it was a
necessity, not a luxury. FM uses ALL of the real estate of a single monitor
and the only way to live with it is on two monitors for all the extra pods,
views, and screens.

4. Some files open as a tab in the main area, others open over the other
files, and some will open over the entire FrameMaker workspace. I haven't
figured out why or what triggers it.

5. Ctrl-f opens the find/change pod. The first time, I think it does go
right to the find text box. After that, the pod is in the tabbed group to
the side and it simply brings the find/change pod to the active position. To
get it to bring you to the field, you have to close the pod so that Ctrl-f
opens the pod.

7. I have two FM tabs on the taskbar normally - one for the application and
the other for the console because it seems there is always a font missing
from somewhere. I never get more unless I have managed to open another
application of FM. When I update a book, it kicks out a third tab, but goes
away after closing the book status window.

Since you've obviously got preferences based on experiences, it would be
tremendously helpful to folks on this list, if you would take a bit of
time
to name some of the specific bugs and issues that have formed your
opinion.

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